It has long been recognized that the knotting of strands to hooks is a delicate and time consuming procedure and desirably is to be avoided. Especially for the connection of fine fishing line to small fish hooks, it is difficult for large segments of the population to properly thread or tie the line to the hook, older people and children having especially great difficulties in accomplishing such a task. Because of that, there have been various proposals for the formation of a hook structure that avoids the necessity for tying of a knot, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,333,101 and No. 3,604,143. Such prior proposed structures are not known to be entirely commercially successful, however, perhaps due to complicated manufacturing procedures or difficulties of use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,866, a minnow rig assembly is proposed that is successful in allowing quick and easy attachment of a line to the mouth-engaging hook of the minnow rig assembly. Such a hook includes line receiving portions formed on opposite sides of a T-shaped projection, through which portions the line is passed while wrapped around the projection. According to the present invention it has been found that the advantages associated with the mouth hook of the minnow rig assembly in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,866 can be achieved in a hook per se, while providing an even simpler, more efficient, and easier to use structure.
According to the present invention, an integral structure is provided for ready attachment to a strand. The integral structure preferably has use as a fishing hook, and the strand is a fishing line, although other uses for the hook and other types of strands may also be utilized. The integral structure according to the invention is simple to manufacture, and may be successfully used by all segments of the population for attachment of a strand to the structure without requiring knotting of the strand.
The integral structure according to the present invention consists essentially of the following components: a first end forming a hook; a second end forming a strand receiving portion; a middle portion between the first and second ends; and a generally T-shaped projection means formed from the middle portion for friction wrapping of a strand to the structure. The projection means consists of a cross portion of the T spaced from and generally parallel to the metal portion, and a leg portion of the T interconnecting the cross portion to the middle portion, the leg portion being relatively short compared to the thickness of a strand to be received thereby so that a strand may be wrapped around the leg portion several times and be tightly frictionally engaged by both the middle portion and the cross portion. Preferably the structure according to the invention is formed by a continuous piece of metal (e.g. spring steel) bent to form the hook, strand receiving portion, and T-shaped projection means. The ends of the cross portion may include portions that are located closer to the middle portion than the other portions of the cross portion at the connection of the leg portion to the cross portion.
In one embodiment of the structure according to the present invention, the second end forming a strand receiving portion comprises an eyelet. In the preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the second end forming a strand receiving portion comprises a loop portion and a terminating portion extending from the loop portion toward the hook. The terminating portion extends generally parallel to the middle portion is spaced therefrom a distance less than the thickness of a strand to be received by the loop portion, while allowing the strand to be forced between it and the middle portion. For ease of assembly and use, preferably the T-shaped projection means, loop portion, terminating portion, and hook are coplanar.
It is the primary object to provide a simple and effective integral structure for ready attachment to a strand, such as a fish hook readily attachable to a fishing line without knotting. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.